The longest month.

What is it about February?  If you've ever worked in a school, you've likely heard teachers grumble about how it's the never-ending month.  I rejected it for the longest because how could my birthday month be so terrible?  But it's true.  The other day, even Sara asked me, "How does the month with the smallest number of days feel like the longest month e-v-e-r?"   And although I've heard mattress stores advertise the benefits of an extra night's sleep this year in February, I think that is just a fancy way of saying that we have to wake up and make it through one extra day in the longest month this year.
 
There's not one thing in particular that has made our month drag on.  In fact, it's been really busy ... all the more reason it should feel like it's flying.  Both girls are in soccer and swimming, and Sara is in Daisies, which she is loving.  It's keeping us busy, and my brain feels scattered.  Between events, I'm constantly refereeing between arguing sisters and running errands where I always forget at least two things I really needed in the first place.  And also trying to keep track of work stuff, making poor attempts at providing decent meals, and keeping my house at a semi-acceptable level of clean.  I think these are all the things I was warned about for years, and now it's hitting.  Like a ton of bricks.

Of course the girls did enjoy their school Valentine's parties, and we celebrated with our traditional heart-shaped pizza.  That was a nice mid-month pick-me-up.  There have been a few other highlights, too...

On President's Day, Sara was out of school so she and Steve enjoyed a BBQ lunch complete with ribs and ice cream.

 Sara was excited that her MLK Jr. poster for Black History Month was displayed in the main hallway at school.

 Emma's team practiced for the first time on their indoor "bumpered" field.  She's pretty fast and feisty.  Looking forward to her first game tomorrow!

 

Steve is out of town enjoying a guys' weekend in Jackson Hole, and tomorrow the girls and I will go from game to swimming to game.  And since I won't be fooled into thinking there will actually be naps afterwards, I'm hopeful there will at least be some time to breath.  It's worth it, of course, because I love seeing the girls being active and having fun, which I try to remind myself of when I'm busy getting to the bottom of a fight over something like the yellow marker that smells like popcorn.  And seriously, thank goodness for wine.

The shining light at the end of this February tunnel is the Florida trip the girls and I are taking in just over a week.  We're so excited to visit G & G and get to the beach, even if I'm in last year's swimsuit because there's no way I'll be finding time to shop and try on between now and then.  I do plan to take five minutes to paint my toe nails before we leave, but besides that, it will be crazy life as usual.  By the time we board the plane, the longest month in yet another fleeting year will be behind us, and I'll be focusing on soaking up the moments (you know, as long as two certain girls aren't going toe to toe over the window seat ...).

Book Talk

I'm making progress on the reading challenge, but still doing a little cheating ... (see my previous Book Talk post for details on this).

 For a book you can finish in a day, I read What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan.  I didn't actually read it on one day-day, but I did read it within 24 hours, and I'm counting this because a) although it spanned two days, a 24-hour stretch is technically one day, and b) I don't foresee a single day with nothing to do but read presenting itself in my near future.  This was an easy book to read in such a short time frame because it was very captivating.  On a Sunday in the woods with his mom, 8-year-old Ben disappears.  The book walks the reader through what happens in the next nine days, during the desperate search for Ben.  Every new details leaves the reader questioning the motives of each character.  And while Ben's family struggle with their range of emotions during the search, so too do the investigators assigned to the case.  Definitely a thriller worth reading.

 Sara and I are reading a book I've already read at least once (it was also published before I was born): The Mouse and the Motorcycle.  This came up because my school wrote a grant for a one school, one book community literacy grant, and we're using this book.  I thought, what better time than now to introduce Sara to Ralph.  We're having a great time reading this classic!

 My sibling/BFF selected The Obituary Writer as a book chosen for me.  The two main characters, Vivian - living in 1919, and Claire - living in 1960, are connected in a surprising way in this story that explores the emotions of living with both grief and hope.  As the obituary writer, Vivian spent her life helping people through their hardest moments.  And Claire, who thought she married for all the right reasons, finds herself struggling in a marriage she no longer wants.  The book ended on an ambiguous note, which left me feeling irritated and unfulfilled on one hand, and surprisingly satisfied on the other.  Sometimes I like the grown-up version of "choose your own ending".  Easy to read and also very engaging, this would be a great winter fireside or summer poolside read.    

"Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems that divide us."

-JFK's Inaugural Address as quoted in The Obituary Writer

My Birthday Surprise

For a couple of months Steve has been telling me to leave this weekend open.  He wouldn't tell me why, only that I would have plans.  All week I was begging for hints about my surprise, but he wouldn't budge.  When he pulled in from work Friday evening with two of my college BFFs who live in KC, I was beside myself with excitement (caught on video here).  We had about thirty-six hours together and didn't waste a minute.  Unfortunately we did fail to get a decent picture of all three of us, but our myriad attempts resulted in endless laughter.

Our weekend consisted of good food and beverages, shopping, laughing to the point of tears, gossip, and full disclosure about anything and everything.  The last part is what I love most about Brooke and Leigh.  We are totally 100% ourselves around each other; we can bare our souls and let down our defenses, free from judgement or fear of transparency. 

 One of Leigh's friends from Illinois was in town for work, and he had about thirty minutes to spare so we met up with him briefly.  It was a nice break in our shopping excursion at North Park.  After watching us fail miserably at selfie attempts, a passerby took this shot.

This weekend was the perfect start to my new year ... it was the birthday celebration I didn't know I needed with two ladies I'm so blessed to have in my life.  Friends who wine o' clock together stay together, correct?

 "Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name ..."

Wordless Wednesday

Book Talk

The deeper I've gotten into this book challenge, the more I realize I'm not a huge fan.  Here's why: for one thing, I don't abandon books.  I always finish what I've started, so the book you've abandoned category is eluding me.  Also, books I own but have never read are also pretty much the same thing as books that intimidate me.  Otherwise I would have read them.  Further, books that I should have read in school are largely the same books that have been banned at some point.  So I'll start with this and explain why I've decided that a little cheating is totally acceptable ...

As an English major in college and then as an English teacher, I have read many of the books that should have been read in school.  And like I said above, many this this category have also been banned at some point.  Still, I haven't read everything, so I wandered over to our book shelves and selected a classic - banned at points, should have read in school, and published before I was born - Of Mice and Men.  I still can't believe I never picked it up prior to this challenge.  It's a short book about an unlikely pair of laborer friends in California at the turn of the 20th century.  Authored by Steinbeck, of course it's well written and gripping.  I know people don't come here looking for classics, but if you're leaning that way, this would be an easy place to start.   

Thanks to Amazon Prime, I nabbed a book published this year for free on my Kindle: The Moonlit Garden.  It's the story of a young widow, Lilly, who unwittingly inherits an old violin with a rich history.  As she decides to delve into why the violin belongs to her, it becomes her vehicle to coping with her loss, rediscovering herself, and moving on after the loss of her husband.  This was a quick, enjoyable read - a little adventure and a nicely packaged happy ending.

 For a book recommended by my librarian, I went no further than my school library.  When I was in the classroom, I used to read a ton of Young Adult novels, but I haven't read one in a while and welcomed the opportunity to pick one up again.  My school librarian recommended Zane and the Hurricane, and it didn't disappoint.  Zane is from the New Jersey, but he ends up in New Orleans to visit a long-lost relative just days before Katrina hits.  This is a story of friendship, disappointment, fear, and ultimately survival.  I had forgotten how much I love YA literature, and this book made me wish I was once again surrounded by a group of 13-year-olds with whom to dissect and discuss. 

 "I think of life as a good book.  The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense."

Harold Kushner